Plantations
by Salve-SiS
Summary: Trish and Dawn were only looking to right a wrong when they are whisked off to a different world and caught up in a rebellion against an Evil Queen. Their efforts to defeat her and bring peace to Narnia lead them into a life of adventures they'd never thought possible. Slight Ed/OC.
1. Righting A Wrong (Against Your Will)

**AN: So I've finally done it. I've finally posted this Chronicles of Narnia story. It's been brewing in my head for a long time, and it's been through a lot of changes, but it's finally here. Man. But anyway, I know most of you will probably dismiss these characters as Mary Sues, but trust me: I will do my best to make sure the girls are as non-suish as I can. Remember, criticism is welcome!**

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**Righting A Wrong (Against Your Will)**

There were once two sisters named Trish and Dawn from Annapolis, Maryland. They were found by Adeline Philips on her doorsteps when they were still little babies. In one of their baskets was a crumbled letter written by their father, which explained how he could not take care of his twin daughters due to the Depression. He promised to return for the girls, but years passed and he never came. The twins were raised in Madame Adeline's Home for Children, a foundlings' home established by the wealthy Adeline. It was not one of those horrible orphanages found in books such as Oliver Twist, but neither was it a terribly comfortable home, especially during the worst of the Depression. There were a total of eleven children, seven girls and five boys who all surely have their own stories to tell, but we're not here for them.

It was warm afternoon. Madame Adeline was out on business matters, so the children took advantage of her absence. All eleven of them were out in the alleyway playing catch. Dawn failed to catch the ball more than any of the others, which eventually led to a small bet between them. If she was unable to catch the next toss, she would have to return the books she'd stolen from the bookstore.

"I don't steal them," she protested. "I always give them back after I'm finished."

"That's not fair, anyway." Trish said. "You know she's not gonna catch it. No offense." She said quickly when her sister's face flashed with hurt.

"She doesn't have to do it," said the oldest, a boy named Liam. "But if she doesn't I'll tell Adeline on her."

"You wouldn't." Trish narrowed her eyes. "Not even you would be so awful."

Liam shrugged. "You want to take that chance?" He asked Dawn, who after a moment's contemplation shook her head and positioned herself for the throw. Liam prepared to toss, but Trish pushed for one of the less athletically gifted children to throw instead to make it fair. They settled on Betty, the youngest after the twins at age eleven. It made no difference however. With a heartbroken frown Dawn went up to the nursery and collected the books she'd taken earlier that week.

Trish glared at the smug boy and joined her sister on the walk to the bookstore.

"It'll be alright," she tried to comfort her twin while they walked. "I'm sure the old man won't get too mad."

"He'll ban me from the store," Dawn said miserably. She glanced longingly at a book with numerous shields on the cover. "I didn't even get to finish this one,"

"What if we just hide your books somewhere?" Trish suggested. "That way Liam will just think you gave them back and you can go back for them later."

She thought this was a rather clever idea, but Dawn shook her head. "He'll go to Mr. Fisher himself and tell him. Besides, I shouldn't have taken them in the first place."

Trish didn't say anything, but privately she agreed. She'd been against her sister's swiping since the very beginning. The only thing that stopped her from being too judgmental about it was the way Dawn lit up when she reached the best part, the part where the hero steps up and saves the day. There wasn't much Trish cared about, but her sister's happiness was something.

It was a short walk to the small bookstore. It was not special or grand in any way; in fact it was one of the more run down stores in the city. The owner was an elderly man with one blind eye and a kind disposition. There were three bookstores in the whole neighborhood, but Mr. Fisher was the only one who let 'lower class' residents like Dawn inside. The others were, in Trish's own words, too much of asses to show similar kindness.

The bell placed on top of the door jingled as the twins entered. "Hello? Mr. Fisher, sir?" Dawn called out, clutching the books in her arms even tighter to her chest. "It's me, Dawn-I sorta need to talk to you about something important…"

But there was no one there. The counter was bare, except for the lone cash register which really should have had someone there to guard it, considering there was about fifteen dollars in there. Now, that isn't too impressive by our standards, but I rather say that back then fifteen dollars amounted to about two hundred dollars, give or take (I could be wrong though, so don't take my word for it). The shelves were all filled with books, none too impressive or clean for that matter.

"Where do you think he is?" Trish asked.

Dawn gingerly placed her books in their proper shelves with a sigh. "I don't know…maybe we should check out the storage room."

The storage room was a small room behind the counter, behind a moldy brown door. For all the times the two had been in the store, they'd never ever been in that particular room. Neither was interested. Dawn only came for the books, and Trish only came because of Dawn. It wasn't very remarkable, either. Well, perhaps that's not true. It _was_ remarkable in how dingy and suspiciously lit the room was. Dawn called out for Mr. Fisher once again, but there was no response.

Now, any other two girls would have left the small storage room and go straight home to their parents. But these little girls had no parents to get back to, and they never went anywhere new and exciting, so a strange environment, even as utterly boring as this one, was appealing to them. The two rummaged through all of the cardboard boxes (don't think ill of them; they were careful not to break anything), and found numerous items such as an embroidered handkerchief, a tea cup set, and a painting which detailed a sunrise over the mountains.

They soon found a wooden music box at the bottom, which opened to reveal a small Lion figurine. "That's cool," Trish commented, as Dawn gently touched the top of the Lion's head. "Let me turn the key."

She took the box out of her sister's hands and turned it over. She twisted the tiny key thrice before setting it back upright. The tune that followed…I don't know how to describe it. It was gentle and harsh at the same time, and the most beautiful music Trish ever heard. It filled her with warmth and happiness she'd never felt before, and to Dawn the music was like a gentle hand caressing her heart. The two were so entranced by the lullaby they didn't notice the new environment which surrounded them.

Dawn was the first to realize the change in scenery. The stuffiness of the storage room was gone, replaced with a bitter coldness. "Um, Trish," She said. "Does the place seem a bit more…wintery to you?"

A bit wasn't enough to describe it. They were surrounded by trees from which snow plopped onto the ground (which was already covered with the stuff). If you asked Dawn what it was like, she'd have told you it was like a blank canvas, waiting for someone to paint life into it. If you'd asked Trish, she would have told you it was cold: very cold.

"What the heck?" She got up to her feet, wiping the snow off the hem of her dress. "Are we-are we in a forest?"

"I think so," said Dawn slowly. "But-how did we get here?"

"How should I know?" Trish said, but not in a mean way. She was quite awestruck by her new surroundings, and it bled into the way she spoke. "I think the more important question is: how do we get back?" She hugged herself and shuddered. She was never a fan of the cold, and being in the very definition of cold wasn't doing her any good.

"Maybe we should take a look around," her twin suggested. "We're not gonna get anything done just standing here."

So the twins went off. The sun, for all the cold wind and snow, shone brightly so it wasn't hard navigating through the forest. There was the occasional frozen river they had to cross, but for the most part they traveled freely, and soon the two sisters were beaming at their most peculiar predicament.

Their joy did not last long however. The girls froze as they heard the sound of a twig breaking. The two hushed themselves up and held their breaths in nervous anticipation. They weren't stupid; two girls alone in the woods where wild animals were abundant? That was asking for trouble.

And trouble came, for not a minute later did a pack of silver furred wolves jump out of the bushes and surround the twins with ferocious snarls and bared teeth.


	2. One Rescued, One Captured

**One Rescued, One Captured **

The wolves surrounded them. Trish blocked her sister from their view, her fists clenched. "Don't move." she whispered. She knew animals typically got more excited when their targets ran.

Then one of the wolves threw them a curveball by speaking to them in our language. "Funny, that's what we were about to say." He made a strange noise which the twins later recognized as laughter. It caused shivers to climb up and down their arms. "Aw, don't be frightened. We just want to talk, if that's alright with you."

His words were polite enough, but the way he said them made it clear the girls had no say in the matter. Dawn recovered herself and walked up to Trish's side. Trish sent her a warning glance, but she paid her no heed. "Alright," Dawn said. "What do you want to talk about?"

"What are you two, then?" the Wolf asked. "Are you some sort of giant Dwarfs?"

"Well, no, not Dwarfs."

"We're human." Trish said.

The Wolves muttered amongst themselves. The one in the middle stiffened. "Do you mean to say that you are Daughters of Eve?"

"Eve?" Trish and Dawn shared a glance. They weren't too well versed in the matters of the Bible, but they knew Eve was the first woman created by God. "I…guess so?" It was an odd way to think, but it wasn't inaccurate.

"You two seem cold," the Wolf suddenly changed his tone into something akin to kindness. "We have a house near here, with a fireplace and deliciously warm food. Would you like to come?"

Not a moment after he finished his sentence did the twins realize just how cold and hungry they really were. The two had eaten a meager breakfast at the Home, and they hadn't had the time for lunch. The two shared another glance, and had one of those silent conversations twins were known to have. There's really no way to know what was 'said', but here's what I think is an accurate guess:

'What do you think? Should we go?'

'I don't know…how do we know they won't eat us as soon as we get there?'

'They haven't done anything yet…'

'They were _about_ to, though…No. We shouldn't go with them.' Dawn shook her head.

"So guys," Trish said out loud to the Wolves watching them with intense eyes. "We kind of have someplace to be so while we're grateful for the offer, I'm afraid we're gonna have to turn you down."

Even before she was finished she knew they weren't going to let them go. It was no surprise to them when the Pack leaped towards them. One of the Wolves tackled Dawn to the ground and headfirst into a rock, knocking her unconscious. "Dawn!" Trish screamed. She made to run to her, but she was stopped by two Wolves who jumped onto her, pinning her to the ground.

The other Wolf lifted Dawn up onto him. He must have been quite strong, since she was twice his size. She hung limply from his back as he hurried away. The rest stayed behind with Trish, who struggled under the Wolves grip. One of them swiped her face, causing her to cry out in pain. At this point she became paralyzed with fear. She was afraid the Wolf would scratch her somewhere more fatal, so she made neither a sound nor a twitch.

What happened next is best described a miracle. Instead of being holstered up onto their backs like her sister, she felt their weights vanish. She scrambled away and watched as the other two pounced onto a creature she'd never seen before. Its bottom was a horse, but its top side was man. A rather handsome man too, between you and me, though of course a child would not have paid any sort of attention to that. It fended off the creatures with ease, and shot one with a bow and arrow. The Wolf crumpled to the floor with a final, pathetic whine like his Brethren had, dead. The last one evidently did not think the chances of his survival were favorable, since he ran off.

The half man, half horse hybrid did not follow. He put away his bow and trotted to Trish, who looked small and weak. "Come, Daughter of Eve," he said, gently. "He will want to see you."

"My sister-" she gasped. "They-they took her, they got her-"

"Come with me to Aslan," the creature said. "He is your best chance of reclaiming your lost one."

She gulped, and nodded. He lowered himself so that she could climb onto his back, and away they went.

I won't describe their journey, since it took many hours and not much happened. Trish did not speak at all, aside from when she asked the creature his species. He answered that he was a Centaur, and his name was Alcanye. A strange name, but it fit him.

They arrived at an open field, which was somehow the picture of a warm spring day despite it being winter not twelve feet away. There were tents posted up on both sides of the field, with one giant tent at the end in the middle. All kinds of creatures filled up the area: Centaurs, Bears, Cheetahs, Dogs, and all sorts Trish had never seen before. Perhaps Dawn, who loved to read of all things fantastical and adventurous, could have been able to identify them, but she was otherwise occupied, so Trish was left to wonder.

One of the other Centaurs approached them. "Where have you been, Alcanye?" He asked. He was a stern but fair and brave man, who you'll recognize in a moment.

"I was out near the woods, General. You'll never believe what I found," Alcanye turned around so that Trish was visible to the Supreme General (whose name was Oreius).

Oreius froze. "A Daughter of Eve?" He hurried inside the grand red tent at the end of the middle. He reappeared at once, this time accompanied with a Lion. Oh, what a Lion he was. Everyone stopped their activities and bowed lowly in reverence. So beautiful and handsome, so positively _Good. _For a moment all of the worry in Trish's mind disappeared, replaced with happiness she'd never experienced until now. She climbed off of Alcanye's back and stepped forward. She looked at the Lion and bowed her head in instinct. "Please sir," she spoke to her knees. "Can you help me? My sister, she was taken by the Wolves and-"

"My child," the Lion-Aslan- interrupted. If any other adult (or Talking Beast) had done so, the ten year old would have barreled on. But this Lion spoke with an authority she couldn't rebel against. "Tell me; was it just you and your sister who came to this land? Is it only the two of you?"

"Yes sir," she answered. "We-we found a music box and we found ourselves here. We wandered around when the Wolves found us and-and they took her," she choked back a sob.

"Trish," Aslan said tenderly. "Your sister is not yet lost to us. However, we cannot go for her at this moment."

"What?" She cried out. "Why? They might be torturing her right now!"

"If we went for her now, she would be killed before we could reach her. The White Witch (the Leader of the Wolves and tyrant of this land) will keep her alive, if for no other reason than to flaunt her to the populace."

"But-"

"Trish," said Aslan. "Would you risk your sister's life?"

Trish bowed her head. "I don't know what to do," she whispered, and she could no longer fight the tears. They streamed, fat and shining, down her cheeks. It didn't matter to her the dozens of people (let's use that word from now on, since I'm getting tired of the word 'creature') who watched her cry in silence. She cried for a good long time, and wiped her cheeks dry after she was done.

"Alcanye," Aslan called the Centaur forward. "Take her to one of the bare tents. Give her food, for I imagine she is quite hungry, and explain to her our situation at hand."

Alcanye did as he was told, frog marching the girl inside.

You all might be wondering about Dawn. Well, unfortunately for her she was not in a place as warm and pretty like her sister. The Wolves carried her inside a large castle made of ice and snow. It comprised of two floors, and the first was the more frightening. Statues, both crumbled and intact, littered the area. They were Centaurs, Fawns, Minotaurs and other Wolves, all of them wearing expressions ranging from defiant, to horror, to surprise. Fortunately Dawn was unconscious for to see this tragedy; otherwise she would have cried for these poor lives.

She awoke as soon as they reached the second floor, which was bare except for a large icy throne which rested for everyone to see. She was quite woozy, and her head still stung with pain. She got up (she'd been placed on the floor by her captors) onto her feet slowly, wincing. She looked up to see a woman on the throne, watching her intently.

She was garnered in robes matching the whiteness of everything and her own skin. She was beautiful, with dark black eyes and blond hair pulled into a ponytail. There was crown of ice (obviously) resting on her head, so she must have been a Queen. She was not a Nice Queen, of this Dawn was certain. She was too cold, forgive the pun.

"What is your name, Daughter of Eve?" The Evil Queen asked in a terrible voice.

Dawn did not want to provoke her, so she answered truthfully. "I'm Dawn Ma'am," she added the last part almost reluctantly. "Who-who are you?"

"We are the Queen Jadis, Ruler of Narnia. You have committed a grave sin against us, trespassing to our land."

"Please Ma-Your Majesty, we-I didn't know. If you let me go, I promise I'll leave as soon as possible."

"Are there more of you? Four, perhaps?"

"N-no, Your Majesty. It's just me." The first half wasn't a lie at least.

"She lies, Your Highness." Said the Wolf who'd carried the girl there. "There was another one with her, a Daughter of Eve as well, but she got away."

The Evil Queen's face turned red. "I won't have a Human loose in my Kingdom!" She shouted. "Go find her at once. You won't be permitted to return until you've brought her to me."

"Please Your Majesty, leave my sister alone, she didn't do anything-"

The Evil Queen sprung from her throne and hit Dawn across the face. Dawn gasped in pain, holding her throbbing cheek in her hand. "You'll do well not to talk out of turn." The Queen hissed. Out loud she commanded, "Take her to the dungeons-and announce a Gathering for tomorrow morning outside of the castle. We will make good use of this Human."


	3. For Her

**For Her**

Trish tried to eat, truly she did, but she simply couldn't stomach down the toast. She ripped her slice apart, placing the pieces on the small table in front of her.

Alcanye did not approve. "Please Milady," he said. "You must eat. We can't have you fainting of hunger."

Trish ignored him. Gazing at his face intently she said, "The Lion-Aslan, right? He said to tell me about your situation. What's going on?"

Alcanye frowned, but did not pursue the matter. "We've been having a rather…difficult time here." He said slowly, unsure of where to start.

"Where is here? Where _are _we?"

"We are in the country Narnia. Everything from the Lantern Waste to the castle Cair Paravel on the Eastern Ocean is our domain," Said Alcanye.

"Castle? Do you guys have a king?"

At this Alcanye scrunched his nose. "No. We haven't had a true King or Queen for ages. Instead we have the White Witch. She's a dreadful woman, who has forced us to live under her rule for the past one hundred years. She's done horrendous deeds, not the least of which is enchanting the land into an Eternal Winter."

An entire century of winter? Trish liked winter well enough, but one hundred years of it would be horrible. Especially for Dawn who loved the lush flowers of spring and the crispy leaves of autumn.

"If she's so horrible, why don't you get rid of her?" Trish asked. "How powerful is she?"

"Quite powerful," Alcanye answered. "She's killed hundreds of innocents. She has an entire of army of Wolves, Dwarfs, and Minotaurs at her disposal. She's managed to turn the Dryads to her, and they are some of the most delightful Creatures you'll ever find."

"It doesn't look like you're giving up though," Trish commented. She'd caught a glimpse of some Centaurs engaging in a sword fight earlier. Why would they need to learn that, if they weren't planning on a fight?

"No." Alcanye smirked. "There are a few of us who haven't forgotten the once glorious Narnia. We hold on, we hope for the best…we wait."

"Wait for what?"

"For you."

Trish blinked. "Me?"

Alcanye paused. "We've ancient sayings here. One tells us of Aslan bringing an end to this accursed Winter. Another tells us of two Sons of Adam and two Daughters of Eve who will bring in a new age for Narnia as our Kings and Queens."

"But…we didn't come here with any boys." Trish argued, but Alcanye shook his head.

"There is one other prophecy." He cleared his throat and recited:

'_Two separate Daughters shall arrive _

_Their coming welcomes the Four _

_And they will be pillars for the new age' _

"You and your sister both arrived at the same time, so we believe you two to be the Daughters spoken of in this prophecy. Your arrival speaks much volume Milady. No doubt our Majesties will arrive any day now."

The Daughter of Eve shook her head. "No."

"No?"

"No." She glared at him, her cheeks flushed. "We're not staying. As soon as I get Dawn back, we're leaving. We're not getting involved with a war."

"But-but you can't!" The Centaur protested. "You're the Pillars-look at this place! All I've said-you can't leave innocent lives to suffer under the wretched Witch!"

"What do you want me to do?" Trish demanded. "I'm ten years old! I'm nothing! How the hell am I supposed to help this place?"

"There's nothing you can do to make the situation any worse," Alcanye countered. "What would your sister say if she were here?"

Trish flushed. "I-leave her out of this!"

Of course she knew what Dawn would say. She could practically hear her sister right now:

"They need us, sissy. We have to help them. Besides, it's not like it's just us. There are four other people who'll be helping too-they'll probably do even more than we will, since they're the ones who are royalty_." _

She'd pester Trish until she finally agreed to it-to do the right thing. And she would, she would do it because that's what Dawn expected of her. Because she wouldn't be able to live with herself if she left these people to die.

But then the image of her sister being taken by the Wolves popped in her head, and all of the awful possibilities of what could be happening to her right now raced through her mind.

No. She couldn't do it. She would not risk her sister's life.

"I'm sorry," she said finally. "But I can't."

Alcanye's face cooled into a frosty indifference. Without a word he stormed out of the tent, the entrance flapping about behind him.

You all might be wondering of Dawn, and of the 'Gathering' the White Witch had spoken of. A Gathering was rather like a town meeting, where the mayor or some sort of authority called in all of the citizens to discuss important matters with them. The Witch however did not discuss anything with her subjects-she frightened them. She made them remember how powerful she truly was. She made them remember why _she_, not them, was Ruler of Narnia.

This time, she was using her new prisoner to set the example.

For the Gathering the next day, she used her magic to conjure up an ice-made stadium onto which she stepped onto, with a firm grip of Dawn's hand. The night as a prisoner had done some damage-it'd now been a day since she ate any sort of food, and the cold had prevented her from sleep, so there was a slight tinge of purple under her eyes. Otherwise she was perfectly alright.

In front of the Witch and Dawn were hundreds of people. They all wondered why the Witch would call for them after such a lengthy pause (seven months, if you wanted to know). Was she perhaps going to execute them all? No, that was stupid-if they were all dead, there wouldn't be anyone for her to torture or terrorize. What, then, was the reason?

"Citizens of Narnia," the Witch projected her voice so loud the very last person in the back could hear her as if she was right there next to him. "We have called you here to introduce you to a rather…special guest of ours. This girl," she thrust the Daughter of Eve forward. "Is a Daughter of Eve."

The crowd burst in murmurings and shouts. Some of them backed away in fear, while others clambered to get a closer look at the Human. Noticing this, the Witch pushed Dawn to the ground. She cried out as she hit the hard surface. The Witch placed a large foot on her back and continued, "See your supposed savior? She is nothing more than dirt under our feet. She can no more fight than you can."

To her left side she nodded to a Dwarf who carried a whip. Grinning like a cruel, dumb beast he hurried to Dawn's side, raised his large whip, and slashed her. He did this over and over again, growing more and more excited as her screams became more inflicted with pain. The crowd silenced; their flair of hope extinguished. Many of them had to work hard not to cry at the violence this little girl was subjected to. Dawn tried to distract herself from the pain. She thought back to the many fairytales she'd read; she went over her favorite, the one about a thief who stole from the rich and gave to the poor, but the pain would not stop. It kept on going, going, and going-

He stopped only when her screams did-she was unconscious. The Witch nodded once more to him. Scooping the girl into his arms, he went off to the Witch's Castle, where the girl would be chained once again.

"She will be kept alive," the Witch said. "She will be whipped as you have seen her been every day. She shall never see the sun for the rest of her pathetic life. And so will have all you if you do not turn in any more of her kind. Do I make myself clear?"

"Yes, your Majesty." The crowd mumbled.

"Good. You are dismissed."

With a shaky bow, they all returned to their homes. Many of them were haunted by the whipping for days to come; others for the rest of their life. Some forgot about it not an hour later. It was these who I hold the least respect for, as I'm sure- I hope-you do as well.

Later, at Aslan's Camp, Trish was out in an empty space of grass. She was dressed in a medieval dress, which was quite pretty. In other circumstances, she'd be pleased to wear it. In reality though pleased was the last emotion she felt.

Alcanye had evidently told the others about her refusal to help, for almost everyone glared at her wherever she went. Aslan was gone, so at least he could not look at her with such disapproval. Trish did not think she could bear it.

She stared up at the sky. The grass prickled her hands and neck. The sun shone warmth onto her face. She'd never felt so comfortable, or so lonely.

She dragged herself back to the camp, where she was greeted by the stares of the rest. She managed to make it halfway to her tent before cracking. She whipped around and shouted, "If any of you have a problem with me, just say it! Yes, I'm awful. Yes, I'm _abandoning _you. But you know what? Staring at me like I'm a monster isn't going to change my mind. So unless you want to scream at me or curse me out, then _stop it." _

The campers gazed at her, stiff as stone. Perhaps more would have been said if for not at that moment a small little bird zoomed into sight and straight to General Oreius. "My cousin," Oreius, grateful for the distraction, greeted him. "Have you any news for us?"

"The Witch, the Witch-this morning she held one of her meetings, and-and-I saw her! I saw the Daughter of Eve! The Witch whipped her! She whipped her until she fainted out of the sheer pain of it!"

Some of the women gasped with shock. The men shook their heads, glancing at each other with pity. Alcanye, who was among the crowd, couldn't help glancing at their Daughter of Eve.

She was pale, even paler than usual. Her green eyes were wide with shock. Her entire body trembled. With surprising grace, she marched to Oreius and said:

"I changed my mind."


	4. More Has Been Done

**More Has Been Done**

Narnia and our world had their differences, but they shared one opinion: the battlefield was no place for a woman. Many of the women acted as cooks or nurses for the soldiers. This was well enough for them but not for Trish. The campers were relieved by her decision to stay, but when she told Oreius she wanted to learn how to fight his relief morphed into uncertainty.

"Milady, it is not common for such a young lady as you to train for battle. Perhaps you could find another role in the camp to take-"

"If I was a boy this wouldn't be an issue," Trish argued. "Just an hour ago I wasn't gonna get involved. Now I want to, and you're saying no? Make up your mind."

Oreius was unable to respond. After a lengthy pause he said, "Is there nothing I can say to dissuade you?" When she shook her head he simply sighed, "Very well."

He appointed a Centaur named Moth to give her lessons. Moth was a talented swordsman whose steely eyes made Trish all the more determined to prove herself. He led her to the training grounds, where many other Centaurs practiced their skills. Their swords clanged against each other. One Centaur managed to disarm another in less than a minute. Trish was impressed; in our world we fight with guns so she'd never seen a swordfight before. Guns disgusted her, but the sight of a swordfight entranced her.

She'd exchanged her dress for a shirt and pants. She did this, as she felt they allowed more room for combat. It was a novel experience-in our world it was improper for girls to wear boys' clothes, so the chance to go against the norm, even if none of the grown-ups saw her, was satisfying.

"I can assume you've no previous experience in combat?" asked Moth curtly.

"No." She did not recount the time she hit one of the other children at the Home after they took her sister's sweets (which was a rare delicacy for them). That landed her an afternoon in solitary confinement, which in other words was a night alone in the attic.

"As you are new to the sword, we shall start off with practice ones," he handed her a sword made of wood. It was as large as a real sword though not as heavy, not that Trish was aware. "Position your left foot farther forward than your right." She obeyed, holding her sword to the right. "Balance yourself so that you are firm on the ground, but are able to dodge at a moment's notice…That's too hard-your opponent will land a blow before you'll have the chance to move away…that's better."

"Now move your sword to your front, so that the hilt touches your lower stomach. Point the blade to the enemy in front of you. This will make it more difficult for him to fight you, and give you a chance to assess him." This was called a plow guard. She executed the move with such seriousness if you saw her you'd think her an actual soldier. This image was dashed when she fell to the floor after a strike at the hip. "Never let your guard down." He instructed her. The lesson ended an hour after. Trish insisted on more practice, but Moth refused. She was a novice; pushing herself would do more damage than help.

She went to the dining tent. The sweet smell of toast and bacon elicited a growl from her stomach. Taking a small metal tray she took two pieces of butter slathered in butter and three pieces of bacon, and made her way to eat outside in the empty fields she'd been in earlier. This time however the fields were not empty. There was a Dryad in the field. She was a young woman early into adulthood. A laurel rested on top of her head, which her hair flowed from with grace. Her spot taken from her, Trish began to leave but the Dryad called out to her:

"Wait, Milady. Please do not leave on my account." The Dryad stood up. "I shall leave if you wish."

Trish bobbed her head in a brisk manner. The Dryad's face flickered with disappointment but then it was gone, replaced with a smile. She walked past the Human, but could not hold in the words she so wanted to say. "Thank you," she said. "For helping us."

'I'm not doing this for you,' Trish thought when the Dryad was out of sight.

Trish was a withdrawn person. In her entire life the one person she'd ever cared for was her sister. It was impossible for her not to; Dawn was all the family she had. When Dawn was doubtful about their father's return, Trish was there to sooth her fears. When she was sick, she read her favorite books to her to help lead her to sleep. Her sister was a warm, kind, and comforting person. That someone did her physical harm made Trish lust for bloodshed. She wanted to thrust a sword into this White Witch's body, to see her scream for mercy, to be gone. This was she wanted to train for.

* * *

The next few days she trained with a vengeance. I am admittedly not well versed in description, so all I can say is that by the fifth day she was trained enough to successfully guard herself. She needed to improve her strikes, however. She was still not able to land a hit on Moth or any other swordsman.

The anger did not dissolve in all of these days. Neither did her loneliness. She was used to her twin's presence as you are used to your hand (unless you were not born with one, then a better analogy is needed). There were Narnians who wanted to talk to her, but she ignored them for the most part. She was never so rude as to tell them to leave; instead she remained mute until they left-never mind, that _is _rude. The Narnians developed the opinion she was cold, unfeeling. None of them did a thing about her attitude until the end of the fifth day, when a Dryad (the same in the fields) approached her while she was near the river.

"I had a friend," the Dryad sat down on the edge of the river, beside Trish. Her eyes closed, she dipped her feet in the water. "He was a Dryad as well. We often explored the forests, and played with Talking Beasts of all kinds," She was an old Dryad, you see. She'd been alive for three centuries. "When the Witch attacked our King and Queen, my friend was the first to defend them." Here the Dryad grew quiet. "The Witch ordered all of her soldiers to chop down the trees near the castle…he died."

Trish, who'd been glaring into the stream, looked up at the Dryad. "I'm sorry," she said. Her glare was replaced by a sad frown.

"You were not the one who felled him, Milady." Said the Dryad. "I tell you this tale because I wanted you to…understand we all have reasons to hate the Witch. The Witch has done more than hurt your dear sister. She has torn families apart; she has darkened the hearts of dozens of us. Please keep that fact in mind, Milady."

The Dryad left Trish by the river. Trish was there for the remainder of the hour in deep thought.


	5. Traitors in the Midst

_AN: So I've been trying to follow CS Lewis' style of writing, but then my own voice keeps on trickling in. Sigh. Merry Christmas btw! _

* * *

** Traitors in the Midst**

Now we return to Dawn, who was last seen whipped into unconsciousness. Since then, she had been chained in the dungeons. She awoke several hours after the Gathering, disoriented and her back on fire. Dawn was intelligent; she knew what to do if an object burned. She lifted up her dress and laid her bare back on the icy floor. She jumped at the sting, but then relaxed with a shaky sigh.

As the Queen promised her subjects, that was not to be Dawn's last whipping session. Every day when the sun set (Dawn was unaware of this fact) the same Dwarf who'd whipped her the first time entered her cell, a long whip in his hands. He lifted the back of her dress so her back was naked, and proceeded to whip her. The first two days she attempted to count how many times he slashed at her, but she always lost focus around the seventh time. At that point she focused solely on keeping her mind off the pain.

It was as the tears leaked through her eyes that a certain memory played through her mind. It was late evening. The small children of Madame Adeline's Home slept on the floor in their blankets, except for one; five-year old Dawn stared up at the wall, upset her father still was not there to retrieve her. You might wonder what triggered this. Earlier that night Madame Adeline had told the children a story about a small boy reuniting with his parents. It was rather tactless for her to tell a house of foundlings a tale of family, at least in my opinion. She managed to upset many of her children.

Dawn turned over and nudged her five-year old sister with a whisper. "Sissy. Sissy, wake up, wake up."

Trish grumbled, pushing her face deeper into her blanket. "Sissy," repeated Dawn. "I wanna talk t'ya." She patted her shoulder.

Trish swiped her sister's hand off. Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and yawned. "What izzit, sissy? " she asked.

"Why isn't Daddy here yet?" whispered Dawn. "He said he was gonna come back for us. He said we was gonna be a family. Where is he, do you think?"

Trish was silent. "I think he's busy," she said finally. "With work n stuff. Don't worry sissy, he's gonna come soon. He said so, right?"

Small children are innocent in the way how reassurance quells their worries akin to how wind blows away a small fire. "Yeah," Dawn bobbed her head. "You're right. Thank you, sissy." And she went to sleep.

Of course we know he never came.

It was the third day she gained a roommate of sorts. What a creature he was. His upper half was of a man with curly hair, but his lower half was a goat. Furthermore, there were horns on the top of his head. One of the Dwarfs chained his hooves to the area next to her. Dawn watched them, empathetic towards the Satyr/Faun.

"Hello," she greeted after the Dwarf was gone. Her voice now held a bit of strain from the whipping sessions. She spoke slower. "Excuse me, but are you a Faun or a Satyr?"

"Faun," said the Faun. There was a slight pause. "I saw you, you know. Three days ago at the Witch's Gathering."

"The Witch?" Dawn had never heard the Queen addressed in her true title. She caught on quickly, though. "You mean the Evil Queen?"

"I thought it was…rather cruel of her, to harm you in such a grotesque manner. Does she…does she still do it to you?"

Dawn nodded. "For the last three days, the only person I've seen is the guy who hits me. I´m glad I have someone to talk to now." She smiled weakly. "Im Dawn. What's your name?"

"Mr. Tumnus. It is a pleasure to meet you Dawn, Daughter of Eve."

The two shared a small smile. "Hey, um, can I ask you something? Do you know why the Evi-the Witch captured me? I didn't do anything wrong, I swear-"

"It's not what you've done, Milady. It's what you predict."

"Predict?" Dawn was befuddled. "What do you mean?"

"We've a saying here in Narnia. It is foretold that when two Daughters of Eve come to our country, Four Humans will arrive to rid us of the Witch once and for all and restore peace to Narnia."

"Really? That's great!" Dawn exclaimed, in a whisper (they'd been whispering throughout the entire conversation, in case I forgot to say). "It's like in the stories where the hero kills the dragon and becomes King, except instead of a dragon it's an evil queen and instead of one hero, its four! What do you think they're like?"

Mr. Tumnus gained a small light in his eyes. "In truth, I have met one of the Four. She is a Daughter of Eve, like yourself, and she is so kind and sweet. I saw her again today in fact. We had tea and we spoke of the way Narnia was when things were right. Not an hour after she left I was arrested by the Witch's Secret Police."

"What were you arrested for?"

"For helping her."

He was punished for doing the right thing. This made Dawn frown with displeasure, but she quickly shook off her anger. Anger would do her no good. "You're a good ma-Faun." She said.

For some reason he flinched, turning away from her. She did not pursue him, and so she never learned of his aborted kidnapping of the Daughter of Eve he instead befriended. I don't think it would have made a difference to her had she discovered this, but there is no way to know for certain.

* * *

The next day there was yet another new addition to the number of prisoners. This one struck Dawn as different because he was a Human like her. He was lead in by the same Dwarf who whipped her the last five days, with a knife to his back. He was a boy around her age, with black hair and dark eyes that kept their gaze on the floor. The Dwarf placed him a few feet away from her, cackling as he left them alone.

Dawn could not hold back her excitement. "Hey." She said.

He looked up at her with furrowed eyebrows. Dawn was struck with a desire to cry with bitterness. His eyes held a miserable aura in them, not unlike the others at the Home. Ignoring the fact, she continued, "I'm Dawn. What's your name?"

He looked away. "Edmund," he muttered. She noticed he spoke with a British accent.

"It's nice to meet you, Edmund. Did you come here to Narnia with three other kids?"

He turned back to her. "How did you-oh. You heard the Prophecy, then?"

He must be one of the Four. If he wasn't why would the Witch have imprisoned him? He must have fought her off, perhaps to save the other three Humans. Dawn was so glad they were here. They could defeat the evil White Witch, stop all the pain, and reunite her with Trish. How she missed her…

She nodded. "You're here to save the day from the Witch. Do you mind if I come with you guys? I know I'm not part of the prophecy, but I could still help. My sister's probably helping the Narnians as we speak and-"

"Could you please be quiet?" Edmund snapped. "I don't want to talk now."

"Oh." Dawn quieted. "Can I say one last thing? In all the books I've read, the heroes always get a happy ending. This," she gestured to all of their surroundings. "is just a minor setback. We'll be out of here soon."

She meant well, but her words had a negative effect on the boy. He clenched his fists so hard his knuckles turned white, hugged his knees, and turned away from her.

* * *

Dawn had only seen the Witch the first two days of her imprisonment. When she saw her again later that day, she was in a fury.

"My police," she said in a terrible voice. "Tore that dam apart. Your little family is nowhere to be found." Possessing immense strength, she grabbed Edmund by the collar and lifted him in the air. "Where did they go?"

"I-I don't know," he gasped in fright. His feet dangled in the air, his chains rustling against each other.

The Witch narrowed her eyes. "Then you are of no further use to me." She dropped him onto the floor, rose her wand in the air-"

"No!" Dawn shouted, fear pulsing inside her. She cried out in when the Witch's Dwarf smacked her across the face.

This wasn't how it ended. The hero did not die.

"Wait!" Edmund pleaded. "The Beavers said something about Aslan!"

The name had an immediate effect on Dawn, and on Mr. Tumnus (who'd been talking to Edmund earlier before the Witch's arrival). Dawn felt the sort of contentment one got after exams were over, and it was time to relax and forget all you'd learned for them. Mr. Tumnus felt as if he had just listened to one of his dear Father's lullabies.

It had an effect of the Witch, too. Lowering her wand, she spoke in a terrified voice. "Aslan? Where?"

"Please your Majesty, he can't be expected to know anything-" Mr. Tumnus interrupted Edmund's answer, but was himself cut off when the Dwarf hit him on the head.

"Where is Aslan?" The White Witch repeated in a more deadly tone. Edmund hesitated, looking over at Dawn and Mr. Tumnus. They gave him the most pleading glances they could. Dawn knew nothing of Aslan, but she could see the Witch was scared of him. Aslan was Good, she knew it in her bones.

"I don't know," Edmund stammered at last. "I-I left before they said anything more-I wanted to see you!"

The Witch sneered. "Ginabrik, I think today our prisoner will have her whippings a bit early."

Dawn paled.

Ginabrik rushed towards her, the whip already in his hand. He pulled her dress up, revealing the bruises on her back. Mr. Tumnus, who'd seen them the day before, whipped his head in the opposite direction. Edmund however gasped in horror as Ginabrik whipped Dawn fifteen times.

She whimpered the entire session, trying not to scream. However, she could not stop her face from crumbling in pain, nor the tears that flowed down her cheeks. When it was over, Ginabrik propped her up so she could see into the Witch's cruel expression.

"Do you want to know why the boy is here?" The Witch asked loftily. "He betrayed his sisters and brother…for sweets."

Dawn grunted as she fell to the floor. She turned to Edmund, her eyes wide with shock and uncertainty. He glanced at her, and then shifted his gaze to the floor. She could feel the guilt radiating off him.

She vaguely heard the Witch command for her sleigh-the one without bells.


	6. Shifts in Behavior

**Shifts in Behavior**

Riding on a sleigh was not as enjoyable as Dawn thought it would be. It _was_ rather hard to enjoy yourself when you were bound by your hands and placed at the feet of your captor, next to a boy who betrayed his family to said captor. It was a smooth ride, but as time passed the road became more jagged, until they came to an abrupt halt. The Witch exited the sleigh to talk to her Dwarfs (they'd hit a particularly large rock, you see), leaving the boy and girl alone.

Dawn avoided looking at the boy, at first. The sting of betrayal ebbed at her chest. She knew he didn't do anything to her, but he had still betrayed siblings. What kind of brother did such a thing? She knew how lucky she was to have her sister. She would never betray her, not for anything. How could anyone turn against their family? This question rattled in her mind until finally she turned to Edmund and whispered:

"What are your siblings like?"

He frowned. "Why do you want to know?"

"You're the first person I've met with any. I'm curious."

Edmund took several seconds to answer. "Their names are Peter, Susan, and Lucy."

"Who's the oldest?"

"Peter."

"Youngest?"

"Lucy. I'm the youngest after her."

"What's she like?"

"She's…" Edmund bit his lip. "She's alright, I suppose."

"Is your brother nice?"

"…To everyone except me."

The words almost caused Dawn to soften up, but she could not be swayed. "So it's okay for to assume they're all good people, right?" He did not respond. "What did you do to them, anyway?"

"What does it matter?" His voice grew colder, bitter. There might also have been an edge of regret, but I can't say for certain.

"Why did you do…whatever you did?" Dawn asked. "Don't you love them?"

"Leave me alone," Edmund hissed, turning away from her. His back was now to her. She considered barreling on, but she settled on leaving the issue alone for now. It was obvious she wasn't to receive an honest answer anytime soon.

* * *

Let's skip ahead time to the time her sister became acquainted with the other three Humans in Narnia. It was a regular day of training with Moth. To make things better, Aslan Himself was in the camp. Trish hadn't seen Him since their first meeting a week ago.

The camp immediately grew still at early afternoon. Trish and Moth rushed to the masses standing in complete silence. "What do you think's going on?" Trish asked Moth, and was promptly shushed. Frowning, she carefully made her way to the front of the crowd. She'd been told of the sight waiting for her, but it was not enough to prepare her.

'I've never seen a weirder group,' was her first thought. After all, it wasn't normal to see three children accompanied by walking Beavers, was it? To her credit, she was a bit more nonchalant than she might have been a week ago, merely crossing her arms. It occurred to her these children could in fact be the Four from the prophecy, however she tossed the thought aside when she realized they were missing the fourth person.

The tallest of the group stepped forward. Raising his sword up, he said, "We have come to see Aslan."

This sent the masses into one of their muttering frenzies. Trish shifted between her feet, a bit put off by how dignified the boy sounded; as if he could demand to see Him (this was how it sounded to her. You all know this wasn't the case). The inside of the pavilion rustled, and the crowd all got down on their knees, their heads bowed.

Aslan exited the pavilion, majestic as ever. He spoke with the children, a loom of sadness looming over them. Considering there's both a book and a film which details their conversation, I won't waste your time with it.

"Trish," Aslan summoned after his conversation with the others. "Perhaps you'd like to show your fellow Children of Eve around." There was no perhaps about it. It was clearly an order. Trish stepped out from the crows and nodded in greeting to the others.

The smallest-Lucy, wasn't it? - reached into the pouch slung across her shoulders. "This is for you," she said, smiling. In her hand was a flute carved out of mahogany wood. Trish eyed it strangely. She wasn't used to receiving gifts. The girl's excited face won her over in the end, and she took it from her hands. She was taken aback by how smooth it felt, how comfortable the instrument felt in her hands. She felt a surge of affection towards the girl, smiling at her in thanks.

She cleared her throat. "Come on, guys. I'll give you a tour of the place."

The Beavers went off somewhere else while the Humans went on their tour. "You're-you're a Human too, aren't you?" the taller of the girls-_Susan-_asked.

"I'm from America." Trish answered. "I found this sort of music box about a week ago. Next thing I know I'm here in Narnia. What about you? How'd you get here?"

"We were hiding from the housekeeper in the wardrobe," Lucy piped up. "And then suddenly we were in Narnia! Isn't it grand here?"

"It's better than home." Trish said. "So…you're gonna help kill the White Witch, right?"

The boy faltered in his tracks. "We…we're just looking for our brother."

"Oh." She made a small sound. She'd said the same thing about Dawn a few days ago, hadn't she? "She deserves it," she said. "She deserves to die." Earlier, she might have said it with a touch more bitterness, but her talk with the Dryad had washed away her vengeance. The words she said, she said without an ounce of bloodthirst.

The boy (Peter) and Susan shared a look Trish chose to ignore. "Where'd you get this?" She asked suddenly. She held up her flute.

"Oh, we met Father Christmas!" Lucy said.

"Father Chris…Santa Claus?" First Talking Beasts, now a jolly old man with reindeer. What else was Narnia to throw at her?

Lucy nodded eagerly. "Yes, he gave us all such lovely presents! He said there wasn't time to give you your gift personally, so he told us to deliver it for him, along with an apology."

"Did he give you anything else?" Trish asked.

"You don't like your present?" Peter raised his eyebrows.

Trish scowled. "Not for _me. _I mean for my sister. Did he give you anything for my sister?"

"Yes." this time Susan answered. "Here, I've got it."

She handed Trish a medium sized shield, with the emblem of a Lion on its hind legs. "I suppose you'll want to hold onto it for her?"

Trish took the shield. "A book would have been better," she muttered. "She loves books."

"That sounds like someone else I know," Peter flashed Susan a smirk. The three siblings broke out in quiet laughter.

Trish missed Dawn.

* * *

Now we rewind about a day or so to Dawn's predicament. The Witch's sleigh stopped at a cliff overlooking a waterfall. The icy winds had melted into a warm breeze that caressed her face. The whiteness of winter was fading in favor of the greens of spring. There were a few flowers Dawn saw out of the edge of her eyes. She wished she could pick some, but her hands were still bound.

The Witch's gaze over her crumbling winter was broken when her Wolves reentered the scene. They weren't alone. One of them pushed a Fox towards her, sneering down at him with a mixture of disgust and glee. "We found the traitor, Your Majesty." He growled.

The Witch twirled her wand. "Nice of you to drop by," she said, in a clipped voice. "You were so helpful to my Wolves. Perhaps you can help us now."

The Fox's gaze flickered to Edmund. "Forgive me, Your Majesty."

"Don't waste our time with flattery." The White Witch snapped.

"Not to be rude," the Fox said. "But I wasn't talking to you."

Dawn turned to Edmund, whose eyes widened by being referred to by such a grand title. The Witch turned to him as well, muted fury in her pitch black irises.

The Witch stepped forward. "Where are the Humans headed?" She asked dangerously. The Fox stood defiant, his mouth clamped shut. Dawn and Edmund watched in horror as she raised her wand-

"No, wait!"

Dawn blinked as Edmund rushed to cover the Fox from the Witch's wrath. He spoke out in a rush, not unlike the waterfall besides them. "The Beavers said something about a Stone Table-and that Aslan had an army there."

The Fox drooped in disappointment. Dawn watched in silence as the Witch praised Edmund-and then turned the Fox to stone. Edmund cried out, and the Witch smacked him across the face, warning him to remember whose side he was on.

He turned a sorrowful gaze to the frozen Fox. He'd been trying to save him, Dawn thought. He'd tried to help the poor thing. As the Witch addressed her Wolves, Dawn nudged Edmund's shoulder. She gave him a sad little smile, and grasped his hand in comfort. He stiffened at the foreign touch, and she stepped away from him.

Maybe there was a bit of a hero in him after all.


	7. A Crack in the Wall

**A Crack in the Wall**

Considering she was extremely sleep deprived by the point they reached the dark valley, it's not a surprise the events of her rescue remained a blurry moment in Dawn's life. She so wanted to sleep, but she was afraid if she was caught off guard even for a second the Witch or her awful servants would hurt her again. She also wanted to keep a view of Edmund. His defense of the Fox left her feeling soft for him; surely someone who tried to help someone else couldn't be all bad.

He wasn't in a good state. If she had to pick the closest comparison, Dawn would point to the homeless boys living in the alleyways back home. His eyes were sunken, bleary with exhaustion. His cheeks and forehead were smeared with dirt; his cheek sported a nasty bruise left by the Witch's attack on him earlier.

Suddenly, Ginabrik went over to the resting boy and shoved him against a nearby tree, binding him to it with metal wires. The Witch took of her large coat, revealing her marble white arms. Ginabrik forced his head up so his chin was exposed. Dawn watched, paralyzed with terror as their captor brandished a knife. _'They're gonna kill him.'_ She thought. '_No-no! Oh, God, help him, _please!_' _

At that very moment, the Witch let out a terrible scream. Dawn, who'd covered her eyes with her hands, looked up and gasped at the sight of Centaurs and Unicorns and all sorts of creatures she'd only ever read about in her books. A few of them busied themselves with untying Edmund. One Centaur scooped him up in his arms, muttering words Dawn couldn't hear from her position.

And then she too was unbound from the wires around her hands. "You-you are the Lady Trish's sister, are you not?" asked the Centaur who cut her binds.

The majority of this conversation was lost to her, but this she remembered. "Y-yes," Dawn had to ask, "Is she-is she safe? She's not-she's not _hurt, _is she-"

"We've got her," the Centaur assured her. "We're taking you to her now."

She felt tears prickle at the corner of her eyes, but she merely sniffled as she accepted the Centaur's hand.

* * *

Trish waited impatiently. Her lessons for the day had been postponed, for Moth had been sent off on a rescue mission for the Pevensie's brother. This wasn't what had her anxious, however. The rescue mission, it was for that boy…and for Dawn.

What sort of state would Dawn be in? She knew whippings left unfavorable scars, so there was no doubt Dawn was in pain. She worried how she could tend to those injuries.

Having stayed up the whole night, she was outside waving her sword about when the female Beaver told her the rescue party was back. Not a moment after she told her this did she see them all enter the camp. The two Centaurs at the very front held a child in their arms. The child on the left tapped her escort on the shoulder eagerly. Bemused, he let her down on the grass. She ran down, and Trish ran up. It was forever until the two reached each other.

They locked themselves in one of the tightest embraces you'd ever seen. Trish kissed Dawn's forehead and cheeks the way a mother would their baby, and Dawn buried her head in the crook of her sister's neck. "I was worried," she said, her voice muffled.

Trish laughed incredulously. "_You _were worried? What about me? I've been out of my mind here without-" she found she could not say more. Tears of joy streamed down her face. Dawn was here, _Dawn was here. _

"I'm sorry."

"No, don't do that." Said Trish. "It's not your fault. I'm just glad you're here."

By this point, the two had separated. Trish grabbed her sister's shoulders firmly and said, "What-what did the Witch do to you?"

Dawn's smile faded. "Can't we-"

"You can rest later," Trish cut across her. "But you need to tell me what the hell happened to you."

"I-" Dawn halted. She looked back to the other boy-the Pevensie boy, Trish realized. He stood there awkwardly, rubbing at his wrist. Dawn made to approach him, and then stopped when Aslan came out of his pavilion. "Is-is that Him?" she whispered. "Is that Aslan?"

The Lion motioned for Edmund to follow Him to a part of the camp isolated from the rest. The twins watched in awe. Somehow, seeing the Lion with her sister next to her renewed the initial terribly wonderful glory Trish felt the first time she'd seen Him. "Yeah," Trish nodded. "Cool, right?"

"Very."

"I heard the Witch whipped you," Trish went on relentlessly, causing her twin to flinch. "Show me."

"Sissy-"

"Sis," Trish said. "For me, please."

Dawn made a small sound. Trish took her to the tent she was sleeping in and watched as she removed her dress. Putting her back on display, all of Dawn's bloody red scars were visible for the world to her. Trish felt a churning feeling in her pit of her stomach; it was all she could do not to storm out in hatred. Instead, she led her sister to the medical tent, where the Dryads smothered crushed herbs across her back. Dawn ended up being lulled to sleep by how soothing it felt to have her wounds cleaned. Trish laughed sadly, and exited the tent. She watched the four Pevensies, reunited, a smile on her face.

* * *

The sisters retreated into Trish's tent and exchanged stories of their week apart, including Peter's kill of the Wolf Maugrim. Dawn was especially enraptured in one specific tale. "Santa Claus? Really?"

Trish rolled her eyes. "Apparently his real name is Father Christmas, but yeah. He got you this," she handed the shield over to Dawn, who held it up in bemusement.

"It's beautiful," Dawn said. "But do you think I'll ever use it? I don't plan on fighting anyone…"

"Of course not," Trish scoffed. "That's my job."

"It shouldn't be your job." Her sister insisted. "You could get hurt out there-"

"Don't worry about it. I'm practicing." Trish regarded the shield once more. "What are you gonna do with it?"

"I don't know yet," Dawn said. "You sure you don't want it?"

"He gave it to _you,_ Sis." Trish reminded her. With a smirk, "You don't want to be ungrateful, do you?"

Her twin stuck out her tongue, and the two dissolved into laughter. They were interrupted when Lucy popped her head inside the tent. "Hello. We're having lunch. Would you like to join us?"

Trish frowned. "Er, no I don't think-"

"We'd love to!" Dawn smiled. "It's always great meeting new people, right Trish?"

That was how they found themselves eating outside with the Pevensies. It wasn't unlike a picnic actually. "Hey," Dawn spoke first. "I'm Dawn. It's nice to meet you, isn't it?" She directed the last part of her sentence at Trish.

Trish bit into her toast. "We already met, Dawn."

"I bet you didn't say anything nice to them, though."

"I didn't say anything mean to them either."

Dawn shook her head. "Anyway, did you guys make up?" She blinked at the four siblings, who all smiled at each other awkwardly.

"Yes, yes we have." Peter said. "We've left it all in the past, where it belongs." The tone of his voice made it clear that the sisters were to do the same.

Dawn was quite curious to know how their reconciliation came about, but she knew some things were to be kept within families. She smiled pleasantly at the simple fact all was well again, and bit into her eggs. "You know, Edmund tried to save someone's life while we were prisoners. It was very brave."

Edmund turned a bit pink as his brother and sisters looked at him. Susan opened her mouth to speak, but he shot her a look that closed her mouth. It was obvious he did not want to talk about it. I wouldn't want to talk about it either, if I was in his shoes.

It was an awkward lunch. It was as if there was a line separating the two groups: the Pevensies and the Twins. There was a link between them, between Edmund and Dawn, but that sort of thing is private; even if they wanted to talk they'd have to wait until they were alone. It wasn't polite table manners to bring up imprisonment.

"What have you been doing here?" Susan asked to break the silence.

"I've been learning how to use a sword." Trish said. "I've been promoted to a real sword now, so if there are any actual battles I'm ready to go." There was a hint of self-pride in her voice.

"You're planning to fight, then?" Peter sounded surprised.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Trish responded.

"Are girls allowed to fight over in America?"

Trish bristled. "What? You don't think I can fight as well as a boy can?"

"I didn't say that-"

"You implied it," she said shortly. Her eyes glinted almost warningly.

"People imply bunches of stuff they don't mean." Dawn tried to salvage the situation.

"It is a bit improper, isn't it?" Susan commented. "What if you get hurt?"

Trish shrugged. "Then I get hurt. Don't see how it's any of your business. It might be yours though," she addressed Peter and Edmund. "Since we're gonna be fighting together."

Oddly, the two didn't look very comfortable with the idea.

* * *

The lessons went on well. To Trish's chagrin, Peter and Edmund were immediately given metal swords, whereas _she _had had to start off with her wooden one. Dawn spent the time with Susan and Lucy:

"Your sister said you liked books," Susan said. "What kind have you read?"

Dawn beamed. "I read a lot of fantasy. Have you ever read the Hobbit? It's fantastic!"

Susan shook her head. "No, I read mostly nonfiction books."

"I've read Mary Poppins." Lucy said. "I especially like when they dance in the chimneys."

"I liked that part too." Dawn said excitedly, and suddenly Lucy and Dawn were friends. "What have you learned from all those nonfiction books?" She asked Susan. She regretted the question as Susan went on to list all of the grown up words she knew. She pretended to be interested for the sake of politeness. The conversation helped the two girls become just a little bit more comfortable with one another.

Meanwhile, the lessons were over and the three swordsmen (or in Trish's case, swordsgirl) were mock fighting. Trish was knocked down five minutes in. "Are you alright?" Peter asked. He offered his hand, but she neglected to take it.

"I'm fine," she grunted. "Ugh, you're strong, did you know that? Course, considering you're like seven inches taller than I am…"

"I am older than you…"

"Like age matters," Trish said. "Anyway, let's go again. I'm not stopping until I throw one of you two guys on the ground."

"Sure you can?" Edmund smirked. "You _are _awful skinny."

Trish scowled. "So are _you." _

Peter snickered at Edmund's scowl.

Their free time was interrupted at the sound of a trumpet bellowing out loud for everyone to hear, and the sound of a crowd jeering. Trish rushed to fetch Dawn before heading to see what the commotion was about. Dawn paled when she saw Ginabrik making a path for the Witch herself; the scars on her back tingled. Trish pushed her behind her, her eyes flashing.

"What the hell are you doing here?" She shouted, but her voice was muffled by the shouts of the Narnians. Losing herself for a moment, she was about to throw her sword at the Witch when her sister stopped her.

"No, Sissy, don't!" Dawn whispered. "She could hurt you!"

"We're safe here," Trish retorted.

"Please leave it alone. Let Aslan take care of it." Dawn pleaded. Trish gazed at her a good long while before crossing her arms and shifting her view to the pavilion.


	8. And So it Begins

**And So It Begins**

Dawn caressed the edge of her shield nervously. "What's gonna happen?"

Trish lay on the grass, staring up at the clouds. "You heard the Witch. She wants to kill Edmund."

Dawn fidgeted. "Aslan will save him, won't he?"

She was stiff with worry. This was an obvious reaction, considering the White Witch had arrived to demand Edmund be returned to her, as was her right. Trish didn't understand a lot of it, but if _Aslan _Himself agreed with her, then things were not good.

Still, it wasn't as if she was about to say this to Dawn. "I'm sure he'll be okay, Sis." Trish soothed her. "Like…in your stories, right? Nothing bad ever happens to the good guys."

"He wasn't always a good guy, though…" Dawn muttered.

The wait lasted several moments. When the tent flap flipped open to reveal the Witch, Dawn hurried to her feet, along with the Pevensies. Aslan stepped out of the tent as the Witch climbed up onto her sleigh. "She has renounced her claim on Edmund's life," He said. The words induced euphoria among the crowd. Edmund's siblings all embraced him with sheer relief, Lucy's tears of fright turning into tears of joy. Dawn approached him, and congratulated him on his good fortunate with a smile and a rigorous handshake. Trish remained on the floor, glad her sister would remain as smiley as ever.

The Witch interrupted their celebrations. "How do I know your promise shall be kept?" She demanded.

Aslan roared in response, prompting the Witch to step down and hurry away in her sleigh. They all laughed at her, especially Trish. None of them noticed the sadness radiating around Aslan…no one, except for Lucy.

But that is another story, to be found in another book.

The twins later went off to the edge of the camp, overlooking the forest. "Hey, Dawn?" Trish asked.

Dawn was tying strips of grass into knots. "What?"

"Do you really want to stay?" Trish hesitated. "I mean, do you think it's smart to get involved?"

"Of course." Dawn's answer was swift, incredulous even. "What, are we gonna leave these people to die?"

"It's not like we're important. The prophecy said we were predictions of the new age. It never said anything else about us, did it?" The prophecy never explicitly stated they were of any importance. Which made Trish wonder: why were they here?

"…No…" Dawn said. "But it doesn't mean we can't help….Why? Do you want to leave?"

Trish sighed. "I'd feel bad if we just left. I already said I'd help out."

"You should have waited until I got back." Dawn chided her sister. "If you were gonna start reconsidering…"

"You were kidnapped by an evil queen and whipped half to death." Trish said. "What else could I do?"

"I wasn't whipped half to death," her sister corrected her.

"You were still hurt, though." Trish hugged her knees. "I'm…I'm scared if we stay, this time you won't be so lucky."

Dawn was silent. "You know," she said finally. "I don't think I'm cut out for fighting. I was _thinking_ of helping out in the infirmary. I could do that, right?"

"…Are you trying to make me feel better?"

"Yeah, pretty much." She giggled. "No, I was always thinking that, but I figured now was a good time to tell you. Did it help?"

Trish smiled. "Yeah." The thought of her sister away from the bloodshed calmed matters down for her quite a bit.

"But, Sissy…"

_Promise you'll be safe too._

She nodded. "I'll be okay. I promise."

In times to come, that promise would be broken several times.

* * *

For the first time in a week, Trish and Dawn were sharing a bed (technically a sleeping bag). Dawn slept on her stomach, as suggested by the nurses, while Trish slept on her back. Their hands clasped, the two spoke to each other in whispers.

"Hey, Sissy," Dawn whispered. "Do you think maybe we can stay here?"

Her twin furrowed her eyebrows. "Didn't we already decide that?"

"No, I mean…_stay _stay here, forever."

"What about Maryland?"

"What about it? We have each other; what's back in Annapolis for us?"

Trish rubbed her eyes. "There's Dad…"

Dawn imitated the motion. "You don't have to pretend anymore Sissy." She said softly. "I know he's not coming back for us."

She knew? All this time, her sister was aware of the dim hope of their father's return…Trish vaguely wondered when it was when she herself stopped believing in her father's promise. It'd been years now, certainly…

"Could we stay, Trish?" Dawn pleaded. "It's nice here, isn't it? There's Talking Animals, and all sorts of creatures that don't even exist back home. People are so much nicer here-they don't look at us like we're garbage like the others back in Annapolis. And-and they'll need help to clean up the White Witch's mess. We could help out, right?"

Trish didn't answer.

"Please, Sissy?"

"I don't think it's up to us, Sis." She said finally. "I think we're just gonna have to wait and see."

The next morning was shining as always. With a laugh, Dawn pulled her sister out of the tent, begging her to fight with her (with wooden swords, of course). The two slowed down when they became aware of the bustling around them. Centaurs, Cheetahs, Dogs, and all sorts of creatures all hurried away to the empty spot where two rivers met. All of them were dressed up in armor. Among them was Moth, who looked particularly downcast.

Trish approached him. "Moth, what's wrong?'

The Centaur looked down at them. "Miladies, did you not receive the news?" The two shook their heads. "Aslan is dead."

* * *

"Why the hell didn't you tell us Aslan was dead?"

Peter scowled. He too was dressed in armor, covering almost every inch of his body. An emblem of Aslan was stitched onto his chest. It hurt to look at. "I'm sorry, but we were a bit _preoccupied_ with setting up our army."

"I'm part of that army!" Trish argued. "You should have called me!"

"Trish, I just-I don't think you should get involved with the battle." Peter admitted.

"Why _not?" _Trish demanded to know. "Is it because I'm a girl?"

"No!"

"Then what is it?"

Peter did not know what to say, so I'll tell you. You see, he wasn't too familiar with Trish, but that didn't change the fact she was three years younger than he was, barely older than Lucy. The idea of his little sister in war horrified him to no ends, and he saw the way Trish's sister threw her uncomfortable looks every time she mentioned fighting. If something happened to her, she'd be devastated. Who knew what they were up against, as a matter of fact? The odds of her survival weren't favorable.

That was his reasoning. However, he was at his wits end preparing the Battle, plus he was still aggrieved by Aslan's Death, so instead of explain he snapped, "Fine, do what you want! Just don't get hurt, understand?"

Trish let out an aggravated sigh. She went to get ready, but before she left she said, "Same goes for you."

It was a bit difficult, but she managed to dress up in her armor in time to get into position. Dawn stayed behind in the infirmary, where the Dryads and Nymphs busied themselves.

"You promised," Dawn reminded her quietly. "You promised."

Trish nodded. "I know."

Dawn offered her her shield. "Here. It'll help. It'll be like I'm there with you, cheering you on."

Trish took it gingerly. "Thanks, Dawn."

With a shield attached to her left wrist, and a sword gripped by her right hand, Trish made her way to battle. Dawn watched her go, tears leaking out of her eyes.

'_God, please keep my sister safe…keep everyone safe, please…'_

* * *

Trish often wondered why the President refused to get involved with the War, but now she could understand.

That moment when you're there, just waiting for the enemy to strike, it's daunting. You start going through the last few moments before you ended up on the field, wondering if there was anything different you should have done. Trish found she wished she had told Dawn she loved her, but she knew Dawn wouldn't have let her say it anyway. Those were words you said if you were about to die.

Then there was the actual battle. Her first opponent had been a Wolf, who lunged for her neck. She dodged and, bringing up the memory of her sister's kidnapping, hurriedly plunged her sword into his body. He whined pathetically, and was still. She stared at him for a second or two before remembering where she was, and turned for the others.

She took down a few more Wolves, a Hag or two, and an Incubus. The Incubus did a number of damage to her though, slashing the side of her waist and spraining her ankle. Here, one of the Horses found her struggling to get up, and lifted her up onto him. It was liberating to see the battle from a higher viewpoint; ignoring her pain, she charged on.

Out of the edge of her eye, she saw some of their own felled. Her first instinct was to turn back for them, and in fact she did the first time, but one of Witch's took the opportunity to attack her. She'd barely dodged, using Dawn's shield, and did not make the same mistake from then on.

"Do you think," Trish panted to the Horse. "we're almost done?"

The Horse whinnied. "Not even close, Milady."

More and more of them were dying. Trish was exhausted. How much longer was this to go on? How much more death was to happen until it was over? She could barely remember her life before this moment; it felt like she'd been born in this battlefield, she knew nothing else.

Then, a Miracle.

Dozens, perhaps hundreds, of their own popped up, led by none other than Aslan Himself (_Alive!_ He was Alive!). She saw the Pevensie girls rushing to assist. The sight of them reinvigorated her.

And you know, as well as I do, that Aslan's Army won.

The battlefield after a battle was quiet. Bodies littered the ground, both good and bad, tainted with blood. Trish gazed upon the scene, feeling numb. She looked around, but she could not find the ones she'd killed, which was just as well, if you ask me. I don't think she would have handled seeing her kills just yet.

* * *

The Infirmary was informed of the end of the Battle, and rushed to Beruna (the site of the fight). Bringing their medical supplies with them, they hurried to treat the injured soldiers on the ground. Dawn was anxious to find Trish, but she couldn't ignore the sight of an injured person in front of her, and so she too assisted.

Finally though, it got to her and she called out, "Trish! Trish!"

She ran all around the field, searching frantically. She called out several more times, her voice gaining a distressed edge to it with every call. _"Trish!" _

"You don't need to yell," came a wary, familiar voice. "I'm here."

She turned around to see her sister on the back of a Horse. She leaned against the Horse's neck, her eyes half-closed and her skin pale.

Dawn almost cried with relief. She helped her sister get down and lay her gently on the ground. She tended to the slash on her waist, apologizing when Trish hissed in pain. "No, it's fine." Trish said. "It's better than letting it get infected."

Dawn's lower lip trembled. "I was so scared," she half-sobbed. "I'm s-so glad you k-k-kept your promise."

Trish 'hmmed'. "I am too, but do you think we can hold off on the celebrations? I'm tired."

Dawn laughed. "Sure…besides, there'll be lots of time to celebrate at the Coronation."

"Coronation...? Oh, you mean the Pevensies."

She smiled. "What do you think it's gonna be like? I can't wait to see their crowns, and their castle! Well, if they let us," she added as an afterthought.

"Hmm. You think they'll be good leaders?"

"I think so," Dawn said. "They're nice enough, don't you think? Besides, Aslan will set them straight if they're not." Not that she believed He would ever have to. She was confident they would be exemplary rulers.

She tilted her head. She wondered, "I wonder if I'll ever get to do anything important…"

In later years, she was most famously known as the Blacksmith Queen.

But we're getting ahead of ourselves.

**Plantations-Fin**

* * *

_And that's it! That's the end for 'Plantations'!_

_I bet you're probably thinking: What? That's it? Where's the rest? _

_For the few readers I have (love you), be rest assured that there is a _sequel _coming out. This was a bit of character-study/prologue to the main story I have coming up. Trish and Dawn were strangers to me too, you know, so this helped me get to know them better. As to when the main story will come out...I don't know, but I'll definitely post up a notice when it's out. _

_Man. You know this is the first story I've ever finished. It's a nice feeling! _


End file.
